FREE Bystander CPR Training Event

**ONLINE REGISTRATION FOR OUR EVENT IS NOW CLOSED. IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO ATTEND, WALK-IN REGISTRATION WILL BE AVAILABLE ON SATURDAY, APRIL 21 BEGINNING AT 7:30 AM.

The "Be a Heartstarter" Bystander CPR Training Event is returning for its 17th year on April 21st, 2018 at Blackham Coliseum in Lafayette, Louisiana.

Presented by Cardiovascular Institute of the South and Lafayette General Medical Center, this free event is open to anyone who wants to learn how to “Be A HeartStarter!” Two sessions will be held, one at 8 a.m. and the second at 10:30 a.m. The instruction will include hands-on CPR training for adult and infant/child victims, as well as how to use an automated external defibrillator (AED) and how to help someone who is choking. For participants who cannot kneel comfortably during training, training tables will be provided.

Advanced registration is encouraged. Sign up here. Each participant will receive a “Be A Heart Starter!” T-shirt, a participation certificate and more.

Dr. Marc Saad, electrophysiologist at Cardiovascular Institute of the South and Lafayette General Medical Center, is serving as this year's Medical Director.

Seventy-five percent of all sudden cardiac arrests happen at home, and if no bystander CPR is provided, chances of survival are reduced seven to 10 percent with each minute of delay.

Don’t miss out on this great opportunity for you, your family, and your friends to learn bystander CPR. You could save a life!

Since this annual event began in 2000, the chances of surviving sudden cardiac arrest in Acadiana have increased from one-in-100 to one-in-three. During the last 17 years, nearly 20,000 Acadiana residents have been trained in bystander CPR at this community-known event. In 2016, more than 1,000 people were trained and more than 200 volunteers supported the event.